Crimson
by llett
Summary: It was time that had changed them from the boisterous and trouble-proud magnets of their youth. It was time and nothing else.
1. Chapter 1

**Crimson **

by llett

_Chapter 1_

It was raining and his umbrella was struggling to keep him dry. He knew he was about three more small drops of moisture away from turning into his female form, which would be a shame because it would ruin his clothes.

The restaurant behind him had an ambient glow beckoning him inside. He had resolved to wait only two more minutes – and then he would either leave, or eat away his feelings.

Yes, he reasoned, she only had two more minutes.

It seemed fitting to him then, that she would appear before him right when his patience was at its breaking point – it was a habit she still hadn't shaken over the years.

She actually smiled weakly when their gazes met, and he responded with a cold shrug. He knew she had about as much desire to be here as he did, and he couldn't comprehend a reason for the two of them to even fake enthusiasm.

"I'm surprised you turned up." She spoke softly, not breaking their eye-contact.

He steadied his lower lip, "I was about to say the same thing to you?"

"Shall we go in?" she motioned towards the restaurant door, "Or are you content just standing out here in the rain?"

"Suppose we should," he turned and faced the door pulling slowly on its handle, "After you, Akane."

"Thank you, Ranma." She smiled again. As his name left her lips it caused a shiver deep in his spine. It had been too long, far too long.

The restaurant was brightly lit, with extravagant style furnishing and soft piano filling the room. From the roof hung a large glass ornament that sprayed brilliant light across the floor bellow it. It was moderately busy and loud, as to be expected at this time of night. A young male waiter greeted them kindly and led them to their table, which had been reserved under the Saotome name.

"Seems like a very nice place." Akane spoke as she pulled back her own chair, "But won't it be expensive?"

"You trying to imply that I am poor?" he didn't look at her as he took his own seat, "Or cheap?"

She sighed, her fingers darting out to idly play with one of the forks laid out in front of her.

"How was your trip?" He pulled on his collar, which was annoying him, and then looked up her expectantly.

"You really want to know?" her right eye brow rose.

"If you'd rather sit here in silence?"

"No." she shook her head, "It was alright. I still don't enjoy the train ride."

"Too slow?"

"Too boring."

Ranma nodded and let out a sigh, "Yeah. Guess I understand that." He collar pulled again, "You haven't been back in a while."

"Since Christmas."

"Yeah."

She gave him a smile, for at least trying. It wasn't easy for either of them, they both knew this. And so they made small talk.

"The weather is awful tonight." Akane pushed her fringe from her eyes, her hair, having been let to grow a little, was beginning to lick against the tips of her shoulders, delicately framing her cheeks.

"It has been this way for a few days now." He shrugged, "I don't mind the rain, it's just the cold wind that gets to me."

"I saw a cat on the way over here, kinda looked pink, might have been Shampoo?"

"I doubt it, I haven't seen her in months, I think they went to the seaside."

"Oh." She paused, "I guess the dojo didn't want to relocate for a holiday this season?"

"Your father considered it." Ranma crossed his arms, "Actually im not entirely sure why he decided against it."

"Mmm." She sighed, making eye contact.

He'd aged.

This was to be expected of course. But even in the few short moments of truly taking him in, she noticed that his face, his entire frame had become… older. His boyish cheeks had begun to fakde, his shoulders, which had always been lean, were showing maturity. He didn't look sixteen any more, that's for sure.

And why should he?

He met her gaze with perplexion, her silence concerned him slightly, unable to deny that he was troubled by 'that' look. To his credit he had already stolen numerous glances of her since they she had arrived. She was still Akane, still had the same bright amber eyes and the cherry cheeks and that _damn_ smile.

It annoyed him, he wouldn't deny that.

"You look… nice." He stumbled across his words, eager for conversation to resume.

Her face changed with slightly put-on astonishment "My goodness Ranma, did you just pay me a compliment?"

"Am I not allowed too?"

"No." she shook her head, a smile breaking out across glistening lips, "It's just so unlike you."

He shrugged in response.

"Thank you though." She nodded, her fringe returning to fall across her eyes.

It was time that had changed them from the boisterous and trouble-proud magnets of their youth. It was time and nothing else. They both shared many fond memories of their teenage years – but they were in the past. A past that had rapidly departed them.

They were by no means very 'old' but they were no longer very 'young.'

And it was this quandary that had landed them in this predicament.

When high-school ended the two of them had been faced with a choice. Akane choose to move on to her university campus, while Ranma – who had not even applied for any further studies, choose to stay back at home. She had left with little fan-fare, and remarkably little drama. It was generally considered by the two patriarchs of the Saotome and Tendo house-holds that the two of them were well and truly bonded by the crimson string of fate.

After all, they had gone through so much together over their years together. Travelling across the country, meeting new people, fighting others, and more importantly, themselves. There was little doubt in either of the aged elders that the two of them would end up together no matter the circumstances.

And it was only six months after she left that doubt begun to set into their minds.

The pair were far more stubborn then anyone had ever anticipated. So stubborn that neither one of them would make the first move in regards to contacting the other. Despite the implied immaturity, and the constant nagging and nit-picking by both their fathers, his mother and her sisters, they simply refused to compromise in any way, shape or form.

They both believed they would be happier apart. And they were determined to prove this by any means necessary.

Akane Tendo threw herself at her studies, and through her consuming hard work had achieved fabulous grades. Ranma Saotome threw himself with even more determination at his Art, travelling across Nerima in an all consuming effort to better himself.

There had been few words expressed between the pair during this time. A 'hello' here, a 'can you put Dad on the phone' there. There had been family visits during holidays, but they seemed to do everything they could to avoid each other during those times.

And yet, here they where, sitting together in a fancy restaurant while the rain continued to fall outside.

It was these very stubborn tendencies that had let them to this place under these circumstances. It had been two years since High-School had ended, and aside from one very busy and very long Christmas the two young individuals had been just that. Individual. This had left their families with only one choice.

Though it had pained both their fathers to admit it, the pairing of Ranma Saotome, heir of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, and Akane Tendo, heiress of the Tendo Dojo, had failed. It had come time to call an end to the arrangement between the two families. Ranma had come to an age in which his mother and father would seriously have to start considering other potential suitors, and the Tendo patriarch, though a loyal friend; would have to start making an allowance for a future free of a joining of the two families. The suggestion that Ranma wed Nabiki had been shot down outright by most related parties.

The young waiter took their orders with a bow and excused himself, leaving the pair again alone with each other.

"So, father tells me you have started travelling on your own now." Akane spoke, making eye contact with the man across from the table from her.

"Yeah," Ranma scratched his head, notably under discomfort, "The Ol' Man said I needed to start taking responsibility for the school, drum up some business and make a name for myself."

"And how's that going?"

"Well enough I suppose."

"You suppose?"

"I have pupils."

"You're a sensei now?"

"I guess." Ranma pulled on his collar, "It can be challenging."

"Im sure that's true."

Ranma met her eyes, "Ryoga travels with me when he can." He paused, "That is, when he isn't off lost on some island someplace."

Her eyebrows raised "Oh, so you and Ryoga are…"

"Rivals to the end." He actually cracked a smile, "But he's better then nothing. A good sparing partner at least."

"Good to hear, I actually wondered where he ended up."

"So do I most of the time." Ranma continued, "Still can't find his way down the damn street."

She laughed and it filled him with the most betraying warmth.

"What about yourself," Ranma swallowed back a breath, "How do you find university?"

She crossed her hands in her lap. "It is fine."

"Just fine?"

"Pretty much."

"Wow Akane, way to fill me in with all the details."

"Its not like you really care Ranma." Her eyes locked with his, "You're just making conversation, same as me."

"I might care." His voice sounded almost hurt, "Not that you care."

"Now you're not even making sense." Her words finished with silence from the pair of them.

Their food arrived. Akane poked at it. Ranma stuffed it into his mouth. He was hungry.

"Sorry."

He looked up from his meal; she was looking down at him. She whispered again, "Sorry."

"Never mind." He mumbled, shoving another mouthful in.

"This isn't easy you know."

"Didn't say it was."

"Shall we talk about it then?" her face seemed to almost sadden, a sense of melancholy arrived.

"I suppose." He sighed.

The fathers had been left with little choice but the call off the engagement. Though they had argued about it for months, they both concluded that there was nothing to be done. And it is for this reason Ranma and Akane sit alone in a restaurant – to finalize the end of a long saga that has consumed the best part of their lives. It was at Mrs. Saotome suggestion that it would be the two of them, free from the influence of the 'others' that would have the final say. And thus they found themselves.

"So?"

"So."

"You do know why we are here right, Ranma?" she asked.

"Of course." He scoffed, "I'm not an idiot."

"Then?" she stared him down, her hands resting on the table, her face a strained resilience.

"Then." He nodded, mostly to himself. "Ok."

"Ok?"

"Ok."

"Geeze Ranma…" she trailed off.

"Don't get angry Akane; I'm not trying to piss you off." His voice was soft. "I'm just, whatever. Ok."

"I thought by now you'd have figured out how to get your words together." She looked away from, "Guess I was wrong."

"It's not like that." He was hurting, he wouldn't deny it. He finished the last mouthful of food from his plate and let the silence hang.

"I don't know why you're making this difficult." She said, softly.

"Im not being difficult."

"You haven't spoken to me in months, haven't made any attempt at contact, even after Christmas when…" she shook her head, "Just forget about it."

"It's not my fault." He replied, "It's not like you were desperate to talk to me either."

She didn't counter, just sat there quietly, staring at the table.

He let out a large, audible sigh. "If this is what you want, then fine, alright? I won't fight it."

"What do you mean by _this _is what _I _want." She spoke the words slowly, deliberately.

"This!" he put his hands out in a dramatic gesture, "This!"

She shook her head, "What are you on about Ranma?"

"Look. If you don't want to be engaged to me anymore, fine, you got it. This!" he raised his hands again, "This is over!" he let them fall, "Just what you wanted."

There was a silence.

"Don't..." she stuttered, betrayed by her own voice, "Don't blame me." She looked at him, "It is not my fault Ranma. I didn't ask for any of this."

"Well it certainly isn't mine. I didn't ask to get engaged to you either."

"That's not even what I meant you stupid fool." It wasn't yelled, it was spoken directly at him, and it cut straight to his heart.

Akane stood, brushed herself and her dress down, shook her head and begun to walk away.

He watched her leaving, perplexed, stunned, completely entranced.

"Stop." He said, but she did not hear him.

"Stop!" he said again, louder, and the entire restaurant heard him.

She turned, faced him, he could swear he could see tears forming at the bottom of her eyes, "Why?" she shrugged, turned again and continued to walk away.

Ranma stood, quickly, noticing that his waiter was returning with a truly worried look across his face, he reached for his wallet, throwing more then enough money on to the table to cover the bill and begun to bound after her.

She was already out on the street by the time he caught up. It was still raining, he felt his body transform but he was far to gone in his purpose to care.

"Akane!"

He wasn't sure why, but she turned again to face him. He was a girl now, standing in the rain in a relatively nice shirt, pants and tie combo. He had no doubt he looked ridiculous. But she didn't flinch, she never did at his transformations – she looked into his eyes, she was a couple of footsteps away.

"What is it Ranma?" her fringe was getting wet from the rain, it was sticking to her. "What possibly could you have left to say?"

"What did you mean? Before." He gave her a stern look, as stern as his cute girlish face could.

"Why do you care?"

He took in a breath, "Why do you?"

They both stood there in the rain for what could have possibly been two minutes. This was fitting of her, he distantly thought, to take this long to answer what was no doubt a simple question.

She shuffled her feet. Drops of rain bounded down her hair and across her fringe. She stared at the young, buxom red head across from her – who was also now dripping wet and looking miserable.

"Do you remember?" she spoke.

He waited for her to continue, but she did not. "Do I remember?" he injected.

"Do you remember when we met?" she didn't smile, "Do you?"

"Yeah." He pushed his red hair from his eyes, he was confused, but that was normal enough "You thought I was a girl, you didn't seem too happy to find out I was actually a boy."

"No I wasn't." she paused, "From that moment on you've turned out to be nothing but trouble. For years, nothing but trouble."

"A lot of trouble, im sure." His voice was soft.

"Nothing but."

"You regret it then?" he shrugged his wet shoulders, "Meeting me?"

"Never." She said, simply.

"Neither." He returned.

"Then what do we do now then?" she asked him. "Continue on? Pretend? How long do you want to keep this up Ranma? Tell me, please, what do you want to do?"

He thought for a moment before his response.

"Get dry." He smiled.

She seemed taken back, but then actually smiled in return.

"Come home." He said, "Let's go home."

He watched her carefully. He had refined the skill. The little moments of emotion across her face, the way she stood, her hand movements. She was mulling it over in her mind, he was tired and he was sure she was too. Then, she nodded, if only slightly.

Ranma signaled down a taxi, he let her enter first. She waited while he procured a hot water bottle and his missing umbrella from the previously hastily exited restaurant. He sat in the dark automobile very wet but a man. She sat beside him, equally wet, but not shivering. He gave the driver an address; she simply watched the droplets of rain fall down the glass windows.

They travelled mostly in silence.

"Stay for a while." He said.

"How long?" she asked

"How long can you?" he replied.

"A few days."

"Then stay a few days."

They arrived at the dojo; it had been some time since she had last seen it. Ranma paid the fare and watched the taxi drive off into the night. His umbrella now returned to above his head and its proper use. It shielded both of them just barely from the water. They walked together, shoulders bumping softly and slowly up the old cobble path towards the warm dim light of the dojo living room. You could hear the soft murmurs of the family inside.

The two fathers were playing GO in their usual spot. They looked up, expecting to see but a very drenched Ranma, not the pair of them. Mr. Tendo took it as expected. The wild cries of excitement and exclamation drew both Kasumi and Mrs. Tendo to the room. They both smiled and said very little. Ranma's father shot him an odd look, and Ranma returned one that seemed to say he would explain later. Right now he was wet and he wanted to cure himself of this aliment. He left the room just in time to hear Akane say –

"I'll be staying, just for a little while."

Ranma found himself sometime later lying in his bed; he was now much drier, staring intently at his ceiling, lost in his thoughts. This wasn't how he planned the night to go. Hours ago, when his father had pushed him out the front door with a solemn look, the young heir had sworn to lay the matter finally to bed. He would have no fiancée by the close of the night, he had claimed. He had been incorrect.

The rain fell softly on the dojo roof. A dojo Ranma had been calling home for many years. A dojo that had been slowly becoming his livelihood. A dojo that was intrinsically linked with everything he held dear. He had set out tonight to leave a part of his past behind him, and had instead found it returning to be under this very roof. But these are thoughts he would choose dwell on come morning – he was tired and exhausted.

He closed his eyes. Tomorrow would be another day. He still had a little while left.

End Chapter 1.


	2. Chapter 2

**Crimson **

by llett

_Chapter 2_

"So."

"So?"

Ryoga threw a solid right punch that was easily pushed aside. He followed with a left kick that caught his partner in ribs, but didn't seem to have much of an effect.

"She's back." Ryoga spoke.

"Yep." His sparring partner muttered back.

"You must be happy."

"Why would you say that?"

Ryoga blocked a double punch and feigned to the left. Moving backwards on agile feet. "You telling me you're not happy then?"

"Didn't say that."

"How long has it been since you've seen her… Christmas yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Did you talk about it?"

"Talk about what?"

"Christmas."

"Nope."

"Shame." Ryoga grinned, half at his statement and half that he managed to connect straight to his partners head.

"You call that punch?"

It was an early clear morning. The air was crisp yet warm. The neighborhood was quiet. Mrs. Saotome worked at the well worn kitchen counter, humming a quiet tune to herself as she prepared the family meal. Footsteps approached from behind, so she turned to face them.

Akane Tendo smiled, "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too, Akane." The Saotome matriarch replied, "What brings you here to the kitchen?"

"I didn't know what else to do." The young girl shrugged. "Kasumi's not here?"

"No." the mother replied, "She had business this morning with Dr. Tofu. I'm nearly finished getting breakfast ready, would you like to help?"

Akane tensed noticeably. "I'm not sure."

"Still lacking the confidence in this department?" the older lady replied.

"No." Akane paused, "Well, yes."

"Don't worry sweet heart; I'm sure you'll be fine."

The grass was crisp under his feet; each step bouncing correctly, his form was perfect. Ranma anticipated Ryoga's next move to a tee, firing back a volley of physical movement – directed at his face. To Ranma's annoyance his friend continued to talk despite this.

"How long she going to be here for?" Ryoga smirked, brushing off the hits with ease.

"A little while."

"Good."

"Good?"

"Gives you some time then doesn't it."

"What would I possibly need time for?"

Ryoga laughed out loud, ducking Ranma's misguided punch, "You're a joke."

Akane could see them fighting through the window, but she could not hear what they were cursing at each other. She actually found that quite frustrating, so she chose to concentrate instead on the watermelon she was cutting.

Mrs. Saotome voice carried across the room. "It's very good to see you home dear."

"It's…" Akane paused, "It's nice to be home."

"Your father is pleased."

"Yes, he certainly seemed that way last night."

"He missed you."

She felt sadness, "I missed him too."

His mother moved closer to her, "You're doing well there Akane."

The young Tendo smiled.

The older women followed Akanke's eyes to the grass outside where the two boys had proceeded to grappling each other and rolling around on the ground.

"Look at the two of them out there. Reminds me of old times." Mrs. Saotome audibly sighed, "That boy looks just like his father – fighting with that Soun every morning."

"My dad?"

"Yeah. Your father and my husband would throw themselves at each other every morning – claiming it would make them better fighters, improve their form and fitness." She shrugged but smiled, "Honestly, I still believe they just liked having the opportunity to punch each other in the head." She chuckled to herself, moving to the fridge, "Still, they are still doing that to this day. So I suppose there must be something rather bonding about it."

Ranma Saotome shot Ryoga Hibiki a deadly look, "Stop talking about her, damn pig."

"About who?" Ryoga shrugged, smiled, threw another kick.

"You know exactly who I'm talking about."

"You mean your Akane?"

There was a flash across Saotome's face.

"You know," Ryoga flashed his largest smirk of the day "She's looking at you right now."

"What?" Ranma foolishly checked behind his shoulder. Ryoga pounced, grabbing his partners shoulder and flipping him through the air, dropping him fast and hard on the ground with a loud shaking thud.

Ranma groaned.

"Geeze Saotome." Ryoga chuckled, "Get your head in the game. I don't think I've put you down that easily in years." He rubbed his right cheek which was beginning to swell visibly.

Ranma groaned louder.

Breakfast in the Tendo Dojo had mellowed over the years. Nabiki and Kasumi could not be present, having important business to attend to that particular morning. That left only Ranma, Akane, Ryoga and the two family patriarchs to partake in the meal. Mrs. Saotome had excused herself for personal errands. It was a rather quiet affair, what with the four males busily stuffing their faces with as much food as that possibly could, and the young Tendo daughter feeling extremely nostalgic about the whole ordeal. Ranma tried ever so desperately to appear nonchalant about the whole ordeal.

Ryoga said his goodbyes for the morning, saying he would return later in the day when he his chores were completed. He shot Ranma a look and a raised eyebrow that resulted in the Saotome heir making claims of the "I hope you get lost in a forest and die" and "Don't ever return to this place again" variety. Akane held back a giggle that caused deep warmth inside her.

His morning was thusly quite boring. He had to clean out the Dojo, as his classes would start arriving again tomorrow for the week and it simply had to be done. His father said that it was his responsibility, as the budding Sensei of the building. Half of him saw no point in cleaning a dojo that was not in any manner or form rightfully his to call his own – the other did the task diligently and thoroughly.

It was a nice day, and for this he was grateful. The lousy weather of the previous few days had left his mood sour. He felt happier, more cheerful this morning then he had in some time. His spar with Ryoga still left a sour taste in his mouth, he disliked losing as much as ever, but he knew he would get his own back tomorrow morning during their next one, he wouldn't pull any punches.

She spent her time helping her father in the garden, grateful to have this chance to talk and catch up with things she had missed. She smiled at the news of her sisters, who had promised to spend some time with her when their own lives cleared up for a few moments. Her father was not as young as she remembered from her teenage years; he seemed more mellow, or calmed. Their conversation has come to a natural pause and he had look at his young daughter quizzically for a moment, and Akane had anticipated the question, but it never came.

He was just finishing his sweeping of the pale wooden dojo floor when he heard his own father's voice from across the room, distant feet making their way towards his position.

"So son, what are you going to do now?"

Ranma looked up, meeting his father's solid gaze, shrugged slightly and returned to his sweeping with a "Depends what it is you are referring to."

"I'm referring to her, the young girl you brought back home with you last night." Mr. Saotome closed the distance between the two, "The young fiancé you so gallantly claimed you would never see or hear from again as you waltzed out the front door last night to take care of business." He coughed, "Or as you put it, to get that 'crazy thick chick' out my life finally for good."

"Well." Ranma didn't look from his sweeping, "I had a change of heart."

"Clearly."

"And?"

A pair of old, worn hands grabbed the broom just above Ranma's, a stern voice, a firm look – "What are you going to do now?"

"I will take care of it." Ranma shot back a cold glare – a challenge.

The son dodged the first kick, having expected it from years of practice, it flew past his ear as his blood began to warm and prepare itself. The second kick was more unexpected, but a quick dive caused its attempts to be fruitless.

"Listen son." A punch. "You're too old now for these games." A kick. "This isn't something to not take seriously."

"You're one to talk panda man." A dodge. "You ran away from mom for how long?" A step back, a twist, "And what I do with this is my business, not yours."

"It is my business Ranma." It was a grab of his shoulders that caught him completely by surprise, the old patriarch pushing him forwards, causing him to lose balance. Ranma found himself on his back against the wooden floor, pinned by his father.

"It's a promise." The Dad began, "Between myself and a dear friend. My son would marry his daughter and our two schools would become one. It has been like this from the moment you were born."

"I know. Exactly" Ranma continued to resist, but found the sheer weight of his father and his aura quite overwhelming. "You never considered how I would feel. Never thought of whether I wanted to get married, and to whom."

"I know." The man sighed, looking his son in the eyes with softness, "I didn't. For four years I didn't give you a choice." Ranma's strength begun to grown, a counter forming, "But last night, I did. And instead of pushing her to the side like you claimed you would…"

Ranma sprung forward, his father sprung backwards. They landed in perfect form mere footsteps from each other. "Instead, you bought her back home."

"I know." The son said with seriousness deep in his voice.

"And now?"

"Just give me some time." He didn't break form, "I can handle it."

The old man's hands dropped for position, to his sides, "Ok."

Ranma watched his father walking back out the dojo muttering about how he was going to go transform into a panda and then bother Soun in the yard. But just before he stepped through the dojo door he turned to face his son and spoke the following.

"Son. You only really get one last chance at this perhaps. Take her out on a date, or something. I don't know; I never really was the most romantic as you can probably tell. What I'm trying to say is that your mom and I are here for you, if you need us."

And with that he disappeared, leaving Ranma alone to pick up the broom and finally finish.

He didn't think much further on the topic until Nabiki arrived just in time for lunch. He could hear her and Akane sitting at the table eating whatever had been presented for them, and he actually found himself rather hesitant to go and join them.

But he did so anyway because he was hungry.

It was a fine meal with quite trivial conversation. Nabiki had been her normal inquiring self, but both Ranma and Akane left her with no answers – much to her frustration. The middle sister left in a quiet huff, determined to find out what she wanted at all costs. This left the two of them alone together for the first time since the night before.

It was an uneasy silence.

He stood up from the table, so did she. Their eyes met, and for a brief moment there were flashes of a time gone past. Of the weekend afternoons of younger years - It was discomforting for him how pleasant the nostalgia made those memories feel.

His voice broke forth, "So."

Her head tipped to the side, as if she didn't expect him to be the one that broke the silence. "So?" she replied.

"Are you free?" he shrugged, desperately hoping his words sounded as nonchalant as possible.

"Now?" her eyes widened.

"No." he coughed, "Tonight."

"Oh." She paused, and then nodded, "Yes."

"Ok." His head shot to the back of his head, scratching, "Want to do… stuff."

"Stuff?"

"Yes."

"With you?"

"Yes."

"What kind…" she actually let out a smile, "Of stuff?"

The smile, thought small, was brilliant. Or at least he thought so. It was the first smile he had seen all day. "Stuff… stuff…" his brain trailed off for him.

"That sounds fine." She nodded again, letting him off without insulting his intelligence.

"Tonight."

"Ok."

And that was that. They went their separate ways; he returned to the dojo, she returned to her daily activities. And the day went quite boringly for both of them, but Ranma couldn't find himself the energy to be melancholic any more. It was both enlightening and also frustrating to be stuck in the mindset of a seventeen year old boy once again.

Evening arrived at the normal and expected time.

Ranma Saotome stood uncomfortably at the bottom of the stairs, just left of the front entrance.

He was feeling quite ill.

This was the fault of many people, he reasoned.

Firstly, Ryoga, who had returned from his days activities with a huge grin on his face that had, against all possibilities, widened at the news of what his work partner at achieved during the day. Even after beating the young man silly, Ranma found himself unable to remove the happiness and indeed, good-humored mannerisms that his rival was throwing at him. He promised to return again come morning, for an update.

Secondly at fault was his father, whose moronic attempts at giving advice had degraded even further throughout the afternoon – his suggestions for a date, the 'free-for-all wrestling match near the old wharf' had been shot down outright by his son.

Finally at fault, and perhaps most so, according the Saotome heir, was Akane Tendo. For obvious reasons.

The cool night air blew through the partially open front door and Ranma waited.

Waited for her.

End chapter two.


	3. Chapter 3

**Crimson **

by llett

_Chapter 3_

"So."

"So?"

"So."

"You already said that Ranma."

"I did?"

"You did."

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"So."

She groaned a familiar tone and simply shook her head with pseudo-disappointment.

It was a clear night. This was a dramatic change from the cold, wet and windy weather that had befallen the pair on their previous 'date' last night. In many ways this change of weather reflected their change of mood.

It seemed almost unbelievable to him that he was now in this situation when a little over twenty-four hours ago he was sure he would never have to see or deal with his fiancée ever again.

"Did you just groan?" she asked, with a surprised grin across her face.

"No." he replied. "Well, maybe."

She giggled. It made him warm. And more uncomfortable.

"So, where are you taking me Ranma?" she looked at him, her eyes widening and her cheeks glowing. She was doing it on purpose, he believed, to both annoy him and drive him ever so slowly insane.

"Food." He grumbled, "I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry."

"Not always." He smiled, "Sometimes, I'm sleepy."

"You're an idiot." She shook her head but moved slightly closer to him on the footpath. A man was passing, but she did not return to her previous well measured 30-centremetre 'neutral' zone she had gotten used to walking at when the pair had been high-school students. If fact, she realized, they hadn't walked together like this in an awfully long time.

He knew Nerima quite well, having spent the last four or so years of his life in this province, he rarely got lost any more. He knew many landmarks, many streets, and if worse came to worse he could always just go rooftop hopping. He still often did, if nothing else just for the pure nostalgic value of it all.

"Seriously, where are we going Ranma?"

"I dunno."

They had left the house quite hurriedly. After she had made her way down the stairs to find him standing around quite awkwardly looking a combination of nervous, pissed off and downright petrified and mumbling about his murderous intents for his sparring partner and father. They had snuck out quickly. They had both quietly communicated an agreement that any additional comments from their family members would be both unneeded and unwise.

They had walked down the path for a while, mostly in silence. Idle chit chat under the glow of the street lights. The sun had set now, but it was still relatively well lit. They bumped shoulders from time to time, but that was much physical intimacy that either one of them was willing to allow at this moment.

The residential distract surrounding them was slowly transforming into odds-and-ends shops. Some were closing up for the day, while others were preparing for a late night of service. It was getting louder, as it was still the weekend and crowds were starting to move around for the night. Smells of chow vendors drifted across his nostrils making him drool. From the smile she was wearing and her aurora, Ranma believed that Akane seemed to be quite enjoying her homecoming.

"Is it different to this?" his voice was soft.

"What is different?" she turned to face him.

"Your university. Where you know, live now."

"It's quite different." She smiled, turning to face the street again, "More busy, but less… well. Nice."

"Oh."

"I always liked Nerima at night."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

She was getting a lot of looks and double takes from the locals. The male locals. Ranma noticed this. It both made him kind of proud _she_ was walking with him, but also annoyed, because well, she was walking with _him_. Akane Tendo looked really nice tonight. He was aware of this. He had struggled to start conversing with her because he simply didn't know what to say. She had always kind of, maybe, dressed cute and looked pretty. But tonight, Ranma was having issues with not just downright staring at her. She had aged well. Very well. It made his awkward.

He looked down at himself for a moment. He actually felt a little silly. He dressed in what had always been his usual and typical get-up. Martial artist black baggy pants, martial artist navy blue, but kind of faded, Chinese style t-shirt. And, just because he felt a slight chill while getting ready, a dark black jacket that was far from fashionable but terribly comfortable.

She was wearing oh so tight fitting jeans, a pale yellow top with sleeves that curved and floundered just above her hands, and a flowing white scarf wrapped delicately around her neck. She was currently muttering about something or rather, Ranma watched her lips moving, realizing that he probably have to respond any moment now and better pay attention to what said lips were actually communicating.

"It's pretty easy to get around though, you know, with all the trains?"

"Yeah." He nodded, "I understand." He had no clue.

The sun had almost completely set now; the temperature was continuing to drop.

Akane smiled to herself.

"You know, I haven't walked through this part of town in a long, long time?"

Ranma turned to face her, slowing down his walking pace to match.

"Since school I think." She starred at the passing shops and stalls. "We used to walk this way nearly every day. Remember?"

"More or less." He replied, "We usually just followed the fences."

"Yeah," He heard her sigh, "We did." Her eyes seemed to fade, her mood dropping.

"I saw Kuno the other day." Ranma picked up the faltering conversation.

The sound of his name caused a grimace across her face that made him smile.

"He was visiting the dojo, looking for Nabiki. No idea why, he didn't say much. He's gotten even taller, if that is possible. Still talks like a complete a moron though." Ranma pretty much to muttered to himself, but he knew she listening.

"Still can't believe the guy still hasn't realized I'm that 'red haired' goddess he spent most of his school days chasing after with such vigor." Ranma paused, faced her, "That is, when he wasn't chasing after you."

"After us." She smiled back, "Fun times."

"Oh, the best." Ranma grinned, "I know I certainly miss them terribly."

She laughed a genuine heartfelt laugh. Her mood again brightened. He figured this was his chance.

"Hey Akane," his voice softened. "Can I ask you something?"

He stopped walking, right where he was. It was the middle of the path, he knew the district by familiarity but not name. He wasn't lost, though he knew that had simply been wandering with no destination. Her face changed to quizzical as she paused beside him with a small nod.

"Did you miss this?"

He wasn't sure what he expected as an answer.

"This?" her eyes widened slightly, big orbs of brown, "Walking and talking with you?" she smiled, nodded, "Maybe."

He deadpanned her but she didn't flinch. Her smile did widen slightly however.

"You know," he continued regardless, "you really haven't told me much about what it is you are actually doing these days."

"I know." She smiled, "You never really asked."

"Yeah." He looked down at the ground, "I guess we haven't talked much."

"Not like this." She smiled, "Not in a very long time." She took in a deep breath, "I don't really know what to say though." One of her eyes closed as she concentrated, "I guess it's what I expected it to be, like high school, only… harder." She nodded. "It fun though, and I love what I'm studying, it's just, well, it's not Nerima. It's not home."

Ranma was listening the best he could, but the more he watched her, the more the words simply got lost in the moment, he manage to slur together a reply, encouraging her to continue.

There was a moment of recognition across her face, followed by a smile. "Hey, I know where we are?"

"Mmhmm." he responded, still lost

"Follow me." She giggled ever so slightly, "I know where we can get some eats."

He followed, noticing somewhat half heartily how the streets began to take on their typical neon glow. It occurred to him where he was being led long before the familiar little café-shop appeared, but he didn't make a comment. He figured, if she wanted to be there, why he should say anything different. As long as he could take in more of that smile, he would be content.

It had been a quiet night for Ukyo.

She wasn't entirely sure why. She had served her normal dinner guests, her regulars, and made slight chit-chat about her and their day, but that was pretty much that. It was for this reason among others that the arrival of those two, together, was extra-ordinary.

She still couldn't help but smile at the situation regardless though.

"Evening." Ukyo greeted the pair as they took a seat, their old favorites, near her grill. Akane smiled back. "It's been a while."

Ukyo nodded and turned to Ranma, "What brings you two here on a nice night like this?"

Ranma shrugged, motioned to the girl beside him and shrugged again.

"We were just in the neighborhood," The young Tendo spoke, "Thought we might stop by for some dinner, and a catch up of course, I don't think I've seen you since.. er…"

"Christmas." Ukyo finished her sentenced with a friendly grin, "And yes, of course, what can I get you two, your usuals?" she paused, "Been a while since I said that."

Her hands began their cooking routine, almost separate to her brain, having become so accustomed to the art. She was observing the pair, and feeling a sense of both nostalgia and melancholy.

But she wasn't sure why.

Yes, Ukyo would admit that she had been in love with him when they had both during and after finishing high-school, and yes, she had spent a long time during those high-school periods trying to get him to love her back. But when those days eventually came to an end, she had found feeling less and less for him in _that _way. He was undeniably attractive, even more so these days with that boy-to-man process going on in his genetics, and yes, she still enjoyed the time they spent together for she considered him one of her best friends.

But the love for him had faded in some ways. She hadn't cried about it, though it had slightly saddened her. It wasn't that he ever said anything to her about it, nor did he ever change the way he acted, but she knew he noticed. Ukyo knew that Ranma wasn't quite the same after Akane left. Everyone knew it, and though they talked about it in quiet hushed tones at first, it wasn't long till even he realized it.

And what she realized was that he, Ranma Saotome, would never feel the way about her that he did about Akane Tendo. It hadn't been a particular quick realization, but when it finally hit home, she found herself kind of content to accept it.

Akane just stared at Ukyo, noticing that she was lost in thought as she cooked the okonomiyaki. Ranma just stared at the okonomiyaki.

"Here you go, you two." Ukyo passed the treat towards them, "Just the way you like it."

They replied with great thanks and began partaking in the meal. Ukyo began on Ranma's seconds, knowing all too well that he would likely require thirds.

"So, Akane, how you been?" the chef grinned, "Enjoying the food?"

"Very much. No one makes okonomiyaki quite like you Ukyo."

"Good to hear it."

"And I've been busy, but it's going pretty well."

"Good to hear that too," there was a pause, "So, what brings you back to Nerima?"

"Family matters." She smiled, "Guess that's not probably all that surprising."

"No, not really." Ukyo hands continued on the grill, "Have they been taken care of?"

Akane paused, her eyes turning to Ranma, who was only half connected to the conversation, "Almost."

Ukyo smiled again, nodding.

"How about yourself, how goes the store?"

"Business is good; if a little slow at times. Sent Konatsu off to drum up more customers… can only imagine what he is getting up to."

They both laughed. Ranma continued to eat.

"Staying long?"

"Probably not."

"Shame. Would be nice to catch up some more, when I'm not stuck behind this grill."

"Yeah it would be."

The friendly conversation continued for some time. Ranma would interrupt in here, with a comment or a request for more chow. He seemed more than happy however, to leave the ladies alone with their reunion and focus on just filling his tummy He had always been glad that Ukyo and Akane had been friends – rivals too, but still friends.

When he was finished his meal, he excused himself to the bathroom. When he was out of sight, Ukyo finally dropped the question that had been on her mind since the moment the two of them had walked into her shop almost an hour ago.

"So."

"So?"

"Mmm?"

"What are you trying to say Ukyo?"

"You two?"

"Us two?"

"You going to tell me, or do I really have to ask."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Akane smiled politely, fully aware of exactly what Ukyo was talking about.

Ukyo sighed. "Geeze Akane, how old are you now? You still playing this game?"

"I'm not playing any game." She replied, slightly offended, slightly defensive.

Ukyo just shot her a dead panned look. "Seriously?"

"Ukyo, please, I'd rather not talk about it."

"You haven't changed Tendo."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Maybe."

"Well, what about you," Akane met her eyes directly; "I've been gone for two years, why haven't you done anything?"

"I was never playing the right game." Ukyo smiled, almost laughed.

"I don't understand."

"Sure you don't." Ukyo hands moved to begin cleaning, "Look Akane, we both know the reason you're back her, family matters and all. I'm not trying to put you on the spot or make you uncomfortable, I was only asking."

Akane paused. "I know."

"Exactly." The young chef smiled, then sighed, "Just, do what makes you happy. That's my only advice."

"Thank you."

"Any time," The pair smiled to each other, Ranma returning at that moment and immediately suspecting that something was up. Even more so when the two of them denied it. It left him feeling apprehensive, and nostalgic.

As the two moved to step back into the night, Ukyo moved from behind her grill counter – giving Akane a hug and telling her to keep safe, and that they would undoubtly see each other next Christmas. The pair then wished Ukyo a good night and left into the bustling streets. Walking closely to each other, but not too close.

The evening then proceeded thusly - Akane become fanatical with a small little market they stumbled across that sold the most 'adorable' dresses. She ranted about how the shops around her university sold nothing but boring, stereotypical outfits and she missed Nerima fashion. Ranma had no clue what she was on about. They then walked past the old highschool and laughed at the various memories – both good and bad – that immediately came to mind. Ranma was also quite elated when they passed by a small dessert stall situated nearby. Akane chose to have a chocolate ice-cream. Ranma chose to try one of everything – it was his money, he argued.

It was sometime later when they found themselves walking down a warn footpath. They were in a relatively large city park, lit up by faded lamps and the stars from the extra-ordinarily bright night sky. It was peaceful, one would dare to say romantic. They were talking about her sisters, and what they had gotten up to over the past few months.

"Nabiki swindled me out of 700 yen just other day. Which was annoying, because it was all I had on me and I wanted to buy lunch."

"Sounds like her."

"But Kasumi came to the rescue, whipped me up something. I was pretty thankful."

"And that too, sounds just like her."

"To a tee."

Akane watched him, he was smiling, and his large blue eyes were undeniably beaming. He looked happy, and she felt happy because of this. It was funny, even though they had hardly talked for over two years, that one Christmas aside, she still felt close to him. She could still tell him anything – well almost. And she knew, just knew that he felt the same way.

"I'm glad I stayed." She said, almost without thinking.

He looked straight at her, his mind processing the words. He felt emotion through his feet, his fingers, his cheeks. A smile crossed his lips. "Me too, I guess."

"You guess?" she shot him that look. The Akane Tendo look. The one he liked. Secretly, of course.

"I guess."

"Geeze."

"It's funny though." He continued, "Isn't it?"

"Pardon?" she tipped her side to the left, "What's funny."

"Nothing I guess."

There was a comfortable pause in the conversation.

"Do you want to know why I stayed?"

Her question took him by surprise. They stopped walking and just stared at each other for a moment.

"Do you?" she asked again, her tone was cautious, yet bold.

He replied, "Do you want to tell me?"

"Answering a question with a question. Typical Ranma."

"Hey…"

"I didn't mean it in a bad way." She half smiled, "Over there, look," she pointed towards a playground, well let by moonlight, "Can we go?"

"To the playground?"

"Is that a _no_?"

"If that's what you want."

"Good."

She wanted to go on the swing. And she wanted him to push her on said swing. She didn't say as such, didn't say anything at all, but it was implied and he obliged.

"Did you honestly just say_ weee_?"

She swung back, giggling, "So what if I did?"

"What are you, like thirteen?"

"Takes one to know one."

"That doesn't even make sense." He pushed her again, his firm hands connecting to her back, but with the softest intent. The touch was getting to him, and felt incredibly betrayed by his own body because of this. But her giggling, and the situation, and the way she looked as she flew back and forth was just a little too much for him and his heart. In fact, the whole night had been just a little too much for him.

The swing slowly came to a stop, and she brushed the strands of stray hairs out her eyes. Turning to her so she could see him, she sent a thank you and brilliant smile. He mumbled and nodded.

"So."

"So?"

"So."

"So."

She laughed, "We really are pretty silly, aren't we?"

"Speak for yourself." He said it in a playful way, his hands now gripping the swings metal connections just above her head. "I'm totally all mature these days."

"Oh, I can tell." She nodded, "No doubt about that."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"You do that?"

"Looking to start a fight are we?"

"Like old times."

They actually both found themselves laughing, but as they made eye contact, they stopped, both feeling awkward.

"We never did this when we were younger." She sighed, looking down at the ground.

"It's not like we are exactly old now though," he looked up from her, towards the sky.

"Why?"

"Huh?" he looked back down, "Why what?"

"Why didn't we do this when we were younger?"

Ranma stared at her perplexed, his mind catching up with the happy feelings in his chest. "We did though Akane." His hands gripped the swing chains harder, "we did this sort of thing all the time."

"This sort of thing?" her eyebrow raised, her voice confused.

"Hang out. The two of us. Going and do stuff. We always did stuff together. All the time. I mean, we did live together. We did a lot of things."

"So that's what this, hanging out?"

"Yeah." He blinked. "Isn't it?"

"Yeah. Guess it is." She sounded disappointed. It was noticeable. He wondered why or where she was coming from – why was she feeling melancholic on a night like tonight? He knew personally that his feelings were very far away from sad or disheartened, and he desperately wanted to make her feel special and pleased. He didn't know when they would be alone like this again, and he wanted to make the best of it.

The swing moved beneath her, and felt his feet nestling in either side of her. He had jumped up. The movement was only slow, and slight, but it was picking up both speed and momentum. She looked up, "Ranma?"

He didn't look down towards her. But did speak. "Just listen, ok?"

She didn't answer, she didn't have to.

Ranma coughed and spoke with a nervous tone, "I'm glad you came home with me last night." They continued to swing softly though the air. "I don't know why you stayed. But I do know why I asked. I didn't want you to leave; I didn't want you to go back just yet. I wanted you to stay. And you did. I didn't want it to just be over, just like that." He nervously coughed, and took a breath, "I wanted to spend some time with you. Just you."

There was a pause, as the boy struggled to get his words completely straight, "Akane, what do you want?"

"What do I want?" her voice was calmed and quiet; she wasn't watching him anymore, but also starring forward into the distance, a slight blush crossing her features.

"Yes, what you want."

Her answer was quick, "I want to be happy."

"And what makes you happy?"

"You don't know?"

He looked down at her from his above position, "Well, I have some ideas."

"Really?"

"Well I have spent a lot of time together with you."

"Is that so?"

"I know you get happy when you're getting new books. You said it was the smell right? And I know you enjoy those really cheesy cop shows you used to make me watch with you on tv, and I know you like it when its sunny outside, especially in the spring, and I know that you're happy when you're dad is happy, or when you're sisters say something nice or offer to help you. I do know a few things that make you happy."

She spoke softly, slowly. "You do."

The momentum of the swing moving continued, back and forth.

"Ranma, do you know what makes the most happy?"

He didn't reply.

"Well, do you know, Ranma, when I first got the phone call from Dad telling me he was going to cancel our engagement, I felt happy."

Again, he didn't reply, but he did feel something inside him hurt quite dearly.

"I was happy for you, for me, for us."

"For us?"

"I thought to myself, finally, we can be free of this troublesome engagement."

"Troublesome?"

"It was troublesome Ranma."

He audibly sighed, "Truly."

She looked up, towards the man above her, pushing them back and forth on a swing in the middle of a city park in her home province of Nerima.

"I was happy for you. Because I thought, that it would be making you happy. Being free from me. From us. You wouldn't have deal with my father trying to marry you off, or your folks constantly trying to make you pay attention to me. You wouldn't have to put up with awkward Christmas's; you wouldn't have to worry about me or even deal with me." She took a breath, "You could finally find someone _you_ loved and be happy."

He didn't reply.

"But you know what I realized? I realized that wouldn't make me happy."

He looked down at her brown amber orbs staring back at him, into him, through him.

"If you choose someone else, I wouldn't be happy." She repeated herself, very softly. "So when you asked me to stay, for just a few days, I said yes. Because I wanted to stay with Ranma Saotome. My fiancé. That's what I wanted. I wanted to spend time with him. I wanted to hear him talk, smile and laugh. I wanted to be near you."

There was a pause.

"That's what makes me happy."

He stopped swinging. It came to a stop. She stepped off and walked forward, away from him. She didn't turn around, she didn't say anything more. He watched her, speechless for arguably one of the few times in his life.

"Hey." He said, but wasn't sure she heard him.

His voice was sharp, fraught but determined "Please stop!"

She turned to face him. The moonlight bounced across her face and eyes. He stepped slowly towards her, words formed in his brain but they couldn't reach his mouth, his hands reached out for her and pulled her close, his lips whispered almost incoherently "Same."

And then he kissed her.

She smelled like strawberries but tasted like okonomiyaki. Her lips were soft and warm, and when she kissed back it felt like he was being burned – and it was amazing. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her even closer to him, and he felt her fingers run up the back of his neck. He didn't know what the hell he was doing and he didn't give a damn about it.

Their lips broke apart and he took a breath, and even though it was clear she was about to speak, he kissed her again and again she kissed back. He could continue doing this forever, he argued.

And he would have, had she not pulled back with a smile across her face and laid her head against his chest – noting just how deeply he was now breathing and how good his arms around her made her feel. Her own fingers moved to dance across his back, writing secret incomprehensible messages.

He looked down at the girl in his arms, and pressed his still stinging lips against the crown of her head. His mouth parted slightly, for words to escape, but none did come.

"I've been waiting for you to do that for a very long time." She whispered. He pulled her tighter in response. "Why'd you wait so long?"

He smiled, and planted a kiss against her hair.

"I wanted to kiss you last Christmas." She continued to whisper, "Everyone knew it. Hell, I'm sure you did too." He smelled like mint and was so fricken warm, "It was the first time we had talked in so long, and I didn't want it to end, and I know we both had too much saké, and I desperately wanted to get you alone, but when I finally did I didn't know what to say, and you, well, you never say anything."

He leant down and taking her by surprise, kissed ever quickly and softly on the lips. "You talk too much when you're flustered, Akane." Ranma smiled at her, she smiled back, and then looked back at his feet. "Well, did you know?

"Everyone else thought they knew. I didn't believe it though. You should have heard what Ryoga was saying to me, dude can't handle his drink." Ranma smiled, "I was just pretty happy you were even talking to me, the Christmas before you spent the entire time in your room, didn't say practically a word to me."

"I was angry at you."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"What did I do?"

"You didn't seem happy that I was back, and I had been looking forward to seeing you for months."

"That's kind of pathetic."

"Thanks." Her cheeks puffed out, and she fingers made a fist that hit him softly against his back.

"It is though."

"Hmph." She pushed him back, and turned from him, "Fine."

He laughed, quite loudly. He didn't mean to, it just escaped from his mouth.

"Now, now Akane. Don't get cranky. Of course I was happy you where home. I'm always happy when you're home." He paused "I guess I'm sorry I didn't show it. Ok?" he shrugged his shoulders, but his face was plasted both grin.

"You should have told me."

"What? That I'm happy to see you?"

"Yes."

He took a breath.

"I'm happy to see you."

She turned around to face him, said two words, a direct unbreakable, undeniable order. "Kiss me."

He happily obliged.

The walk home was peppered with moments like these. It took forever, but neither noticed the time nor cared. The streets may have been full of people, but they were in their own world. No one else mattered. They laughed, teased and kissed again and again and again. It was a cold night, but both felt so warm.

They kissed, for the longest time, just down the path from the old dojo and home. Neither wanted to be the one who broke from the other. Neither wanted to be apart, to capture this moment for all entity, to preserve it in their minds and their hearts.

"I'm glad you came home with me last night Akane." He whispered into her left ear, her hands squeezed tightly in his, fingers entwined.

"I am too." She met his eyes, "I'm very happy."

"Me too."

"I don't want tonight to end." Her eyes saddened.

"Why?"

"Because…" her voice trailed off, and her eyes lowered.

He pulled her close, wrapped his arms around her and lifting her off the ground, cradling her against chest. He effortlessly jumped over the dojo's fence, and landed in their back yard. The house was dark, the family long since retired for sleep. He carried her across grass, past the koi pond and back wooden deck; he leapt the familiar path to the roof, to just outside her window. It was open, her bedroom light illuminating the area around them. He placed her down, and motioned for her to move inside, he followed.

"Been a while since I've been in here." He whispered and laughed, trying to look neither embarrassed nor awkward.

"Yeah, well, I haven't been here much myself lately." She replied, "I do miss it though."

"Your room?"

"My home."

He nodded and reached out to hold her hand. He led them to her bed, and they both sat down on its edge, their shoulders barely touching.

"Tonight does have to, Akane." He sighed, "But you'll still be here tomorrow. Wont you?"

"Of course."

"Good." He turned to face her, and then pushed his forehead against hers, their noses were touching and he could feel her breath crashing against his lips. "You're my fiancée."

"I am." She smiled.

"Good night then, fiancée." He kissed her, their first 'good night' kiss in the four years they had been engaged. He pulled back and went to stand. But as he did, he felt her hand shoot out to grab his shirt.

Her words were so soft they were barely audible, almost a mumble. "Can you stay with me tonight?"

As the concept reached his brain he felt his face burned red, and he didn't dare make eye contact. Ranma's palms get instantaneously sweaty and his legs turn to jelly.

Her words stumbled out, like the awkward teenager she used to be "I, just, sleep. Cuddle."

"Ok." He barely replied.

It didn't take him long to get changed, to brush his teeth, wash his face and calm down a little. He knocked gently against her door, and heard her reply. He entered and found her sitting on her mattress, wearing her favorite yellow pajama's with the small ducks, just barely making eye contact with him. He moved to join her.

"So?"

"Shhh Ranma."

She turned off her lamp, and the room turned dark, it took him a moment for his eyes to adjust. When they did, he found her close beside him, adjusting the blankets so that the two of them could slip under. He had never been in her room this late before, nor had he been under neither her sheets nor this close… his brain alone was giving him many grief's, not to mention the rest of his body.

"You comfortable?"

"Kinda."

She laughed, "Same."

Akane shifted and moved, and soon found herself pressed against his chest, her fingers running down his side, her feet entwined with his. His hands played with the strands of her hair, and he could feel her body breathing against him – and by God could he feel how warm and soft she was.

"I – I had a really nice time tonight Ranma."

"I'm glad."

"Thank you for inviting me out."

"Yeah."

"Was it scary?"

"What?"

"Asking me."

"Terrifying."

"I'm that intimidating."

"Pretty much."

She shifted again, her body moving up and closer, his composure was quickly slipping, he could see curves, hell, he could feel curves and outlines and all sorts of other distracting things. Her legs moved across his body, she placed them either side of him, the moonlight giving more than enough light for him to see her eyes shining brightly as she looked at him, a cute smile across her face. His mouth opened, words escaped.

"You're beautiful Akane."

She kissed him then. An adoring, passionate kiss. Pushing her whole body into him, his hands grabbed her and pulled her down into the mattress, her mattress, her hair brushed across his face, her hands grabbing at his nape. She was pressed so tightly against him, and she was so warm. Their lips sent messages to each other, both desiring to get closer and closer, as close as physically possible. Her pajama top hitched up at the bottom and felt the raw skin of her back, she kissed back harder as his fingers hopped and twirled across it and swore she mumbled or sighed incomprehensibly.

They broke apart, both breathing awfully heavy. She smiled – a smile he knew only he was ever going to see.

"I think, we should try to sleep." He whispered, still breathless, "Yeah?"

She nodded, kissed him quickly again, "Good night, Ranma."

They were both happy.

End chapter three.


	4. Chapter 4

**Crimson **

by llett

_Chapter 4_

For a split second he was completely terrified.

The temperate, bright morning sun cascaded in through her bedroom window and fell across his face, disturbing his peaceful slumber. He had awoken with slight dissatisfaction.

His brain had felt a shock.

This was not his room, nor was this his bed, and there was something very warm pressing softly but surely against his chest. His breath hitched and a small distinct squeak escaped from his lips, though he would lately eminently deny this ever occurring.

She stared at him through a half opened eye, a large brown orb that conveyed both concern and surprise.

As the color slowly returned to his face and the air to his lungs, he cracked a curious smile down in direction towards her. He remembered now. Oh, how he remembered.

"Morning." His voice creaked.

She smiled back and closed her eyes, pressing her cheek further into his chest. "Mmhmmm."

He was completely entangled with her. Her legs wrapped through his, her small hands placed across his torso, his own clutching her lower back, almost pulling her closer. Her hair was messy and she looked completely dazed but he couldn't deny that it was cute. He hadn't seen often in this state.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked, his fingers idling across her pajama top subconsciously.

"Mmmhmm."

He smiled and took in a deep breath "Yeah."

She sighed, which caught his attention, and focused it back on her, she mumbled quite incoherently "Ranma, you smell too damn good."

"I do?"

"Yeah."

He shuffled and his hand instinctively moved out to pull her closer. He was staring at the ceiling, still struggling to fully comprehend the situation he had managed to currently find himself in.

"Do you want to get up now?" he asked, trying to fill in the pleasant but discerning silence between them.

"Not really."

"No?"

"No." she shuffled, moving closer and pushing herself up off his chest, her hands on either side of the pillow, her hair cascading across her face, her eyes puffy from sleep, her lips chapped. He stared up towards her with a half-grin, unsure of her movements and intentions.

Then she kissed him.

She didn't taste great – morning breath and all, but her lips were warm and it caused his brain to fizz, caused his body to heat and caused his hands move to cup her cheeks and nape, to play with her short hair and pull her in closer, to push her body into his, to mutter unspoken words between the interplay of two mouths locked in a developing rhythm. It was innocent, and they had no idea what they were doing. Not that they cared.

They parted and their eyes met. She was blushing and he was breathless. They stared at each other, for a moment, but it passed when she started giggling and fell down beside him, resting her head on the pillow.

"You think anyone noticed you spent the night in here?" she asked, her tone sounding concerned.

"Probably." He paused. "Actually. Most definitely." His eyes widened, "Oh."

"Worried?"

"Maybe."

"Same."

He pondered for a moment, "Should we be?"

"What?"

"Worried."

She thought for a moment, pushed her fringe from her eyes and turned to face her ceiling. "I don't know."

"Don't be." He reached out, searched and found her hand, "I'm not."

"Only because you're an idiot."

He thanked her for the compliment with a smirk and a peck on the cheek, before reluctantly moving out of her bed. He stood and watched her for a second, before feeling awfully silly and shaking his head. She looked up at him confused, but chose to say nothing.

"Come on, breakfast." He smiled.

"Hungry?" she smiled back.

"Only like, always."

The house was settled for a calm Monday morning. There was some small clouds covering the sky above, but the weather man was promising a week of sunshine. Kasumi had risen early to prepare a meal for her family, and as always, had done so with a cheerful heart. Mrs. Saotome had awoken second and had come down to aide in the kitchen in preparation for the day's events. Nabiki had left in a rush while apologizing for her absence, citing that she had a class meeting and this and that was working against her. Finally, the two aged dojo patriarchs had mumbled and stumbled their way down the stairs and towards the table, eager to partake in a meal and regain their morning stamina.

Ryoga was waiting at the table, as he did every Monday morning. He looked rather famished – having likely made the journey to the dojo for most of the previous night. He had been joined by the two men with a smile. He was patiently waiting for his training partner to make his way down for his share of the food. Ranma was normally quite eager and one of the first seated. Whether the abnormality of his absence was noted by the rest of the household was currently unknown.

When the pair finally moved to join the rest of their family at the breakfast table, they were undeniably aware of the increased attention on their presence. It was Ranma who chose to break the immense uncomfortable silence - demanding to know why Ryoga had already drunk all the apple juice.

His friend had raised an eyebrow and prepared a tantalizing retort when, at that moment, both Kasumi and Nodoka had entered the room carrying steaming plates, warm bowls and alluring smells. There were more pressing matters at hand argued the male brains, and those matters directly involved stuffing their fat faces with each and every morsel of food their hands could grab a hold of.

Akane, along with her other female members of the house smiled as they ate their food at much more normal and sane rate.

Later, having completed breakfast in the usual fashion, Ranma and Ryoga met in the dojo's back yard for their morning training session. Or, as it had come to be called in the Tendo household, 'Ranma and Ryoga attempt to kick each other square in the face.'

They discussed the usual among the punches and volleys exchanged between them. The school's developments of the day before, their plans for the current day, how much they truly disliked each other and how they needed to drum up more business for the dojo.

It was Ryoga who finally asked about Ranma's 'rendezvous' the evening before and he had gotten a jump-kick to the stomach for his troubles.

Not to be discouraged by such trivial things, Habiki continued.

"So it was a good night then?"

"Nope."

"Really."

"It was horrible."

"That's disappointing."

"Not really."

"I mean, it's the first date you've had with a girl, in what, three years?"

"I've had dates."

"No you haven't."

"How would you know?"

"Oh, I know."

By this point neither were paying attention to their physical movements, their bodies were conditioned, rehearsed, and therefore played by memory alone. A punch here, followed by a block, reversal, double reversal, triple reversal and so forth. They weren't out right trying to maim each other, well, at least not yet.

"You two seemed happy this morning though?"

"Completely unrelated."

Ryoga smiled, a cocky grin full of boisterous energy, "Dear goodness Ranma, you've always been so damn bad at lying."

Ranma shrugged his shoulders, rolled his eyes and attempted to grapple his sparring partner. Ryoga stepped backwards, expecting the move, "So, are you going to tell me what happened, or are you going to leave it to my very overactive imagination?"

"Nothing happened." Ranma grunted back, attempting the grapple the second time, this time with more success.

"I see." Ryoga laughed, despite struggling slightly against the boys grip, "That is quite a shame isn't it."

"Like I've already said, not really." Ranma began his finishing move, an attempt to throw young Ryoga clear out of the back yard and into a nearby street.

"Though isn't it reassuring…" Ryoga started a counter-grapple-reverse-pullback "… that even after a bad date…" the momentum in Ranma's throw began to shift "… You still find a way into her bed."

The combination of the sudden inertia and a brain malfunction in Ranma's brain led to a less then desirable result in his attempt to put Ryoga into outer-space. Yes, he managed to throw him, and yes, with some considerable force, but his body had miscalculated, and Ryoga had gripped tightly and the two of them had flown the not-so-far distance from their spot in the yard to middle of the koi pond only a good two meters away from them. Water splashed into the air in a mighty wave and Ranma felt a familiar tingle across his skin.

He emerged a her. And his friend surfaced as a pig.

Ranma let out a girlish cough and turned to the small animal, "How do you know I was in her bed?"

Ryoga didn't reply, pigs usually don't.

"Geeze." Ranma sighed deeply and shook his head, water flaring out as he did so. He could have sworn the pig was smiling and chuckling at him.

Drying himself off the best he/her could while outside, he stumbled through the dojo's back door and decided to make a beeline towards the bathroom. But first he'd need to collect some dry clothes from his room up the stairs.

She was coming down them as he approached.

She had smiled as she neared him. He went to open his mouth to explain his situation, but he realized that she was probably more than aware of what had happened.

"Hey." Was all that escaped his mouth, with a nonchalant tone held behind a growing grin.

"Hey." She replied.

"You off some place?" his eye brow raised.

"Yeah." She had stopped walking just in front of him, her hands shuffled, seeming unsure of what do with themselves. The new intimacy between them was fresh, but also disconcerting. "Sayuri and Yuka found out I'm back home. They both called me this morning." Her smile widened and she shook her head, "They were flabbergasted I hadn't contacted them, beyond themselves how I could possibly forgot about my childhood friends."

"Ah, yeah, I remember those two." Ranma nodded as a stray red hair fell across his face as he did so. "They seemed nice."

"You know, they always liked you."

"They did?" Ranma voice held surprise, "That's unexpected."

"Yep." Akane tipped her head to the side with a slight nod, "Thought you were incredibly handsome."

Ranma let out a laugh, an air of arrogance filling the room. "Is that so?"

"I always told them they were a wrong, how could a freak like you be considered handsome, I mean really…" her voice trailed off.

Ranma blinked. "Oh."

But then she leant in closer, catching his lips with a quick, warm kiss that lingered long after she pulled back. "Just kidding." She cracked her trademark grin, "I'll be back later. See you soon." She brushed past the still very much surprised boy who was struggling to recover his thoughts.

It wasn't the kiss that had truly surprised him, though it had been pleasant. No, what his brain was most struggling to comprehend was that she had just kissed him while he was most surely in his girl form.

The day proceeded at a pleasantly slow pace. From an outsider perspective it would seem like little to nothing had changed about the day to day life of the Tendo house, despite the youngest daughter's return.

Ranma, with the help of Ryoga, had made it through the mornings classes with little issues. The students were eager to learn and their teachers were more than competent. However, it was noted that the two of them seemed more antagonistic today then they had been in some time.

Mr. Saotome had quietly supervised the classes from outside on the dojo lawn, rolling around in his panda bear form, soaking up the sun and taking frequent naps. Mr. Tendo was stepping in and out of the house keeping himself busy. The weather was nice and the wind was calm.

It was late afternoon when Ranma found himself with a small break. His youngest class had just been dismissed and he was feeling rather exhausted. The tiny ones were always the most energetic, but also most likely to kick their sparing partners in the face, sometimes even managing to somehow knock themselves clean out. Despite the demands, it was rewarding work and it always left him feeling very content.

He had propped himself up against the dojo wall and was sipping from his water bottle. The afternoon sun was warm to his skin. He wondered where Ryoga had wondered off too, and was for a moment somewhat concerned that he may have gotten lost on his way to the bathroom.

There was a change in the aura in the air, so he wasn't surprised when the aged man finally rounded the corner.

"Mr. Tendo." Ranma nodded respectively.

"Ranma." The older man smiled from behind his thick moustache. It had been growing grayer as of late, a fact that the old patriarch was particularly sensitive about. "I assume classes have gone well?"

"Indeed." Ranma again nodded, "With little incident. The juniors are making good progress."

"Happy to hear it." The man responded again.

There was a silence. It made Ranma uneasy.

"Ranma."

"Yes?"

"Marry my daughter."

Ranma raised both his eyebrows. "Pardon?"

Soun Tendo lowered his head and put his fist in hand, bowing humbly before the young man. "Ranma Saotome, please marry my daughter."

"No."

Ranma's answer was concise, simple and had repeated many times before.

There was a slight pause. A grin began to grow across the old masters face.

"Fine." Soun replied, "Then, I have no choice but to defeat you in combat..." he threw a quick high flying punch! "And then force you to become one with her!"

While this tactic had certainly surprised Ranma, he hadn't gotten to the top of the martial artist food chain by being caught entirely off guard; he parried quickly, stepped to the right and prepared for a counter.

"Are you crazy, you damn fool!" he dodged a low kick, "Do you really think beating me up is the best way to get me to marry your daughter?"

Soun continued to grin under his moustache. Truth be told, in the past, both him and Genma had succeeded many times in defeating Ranma, or knocking him out, or poisoning him, deceiving, lying and so forth to get him to do their bidding, most usually quite against his will.

But a lot had changed over the last few years. This Ranma he was currently sparring was not a young teenager, no; he was now a man, the true heir to the Saotome anything-goes-martial arts school. And Soun Tendo was the master of the Tendo Dojo. This was an honorable fight with honorable intentions.

"I will force you to marry Akane and have my grandchildren!" the old man shouted.

"Drop it." Ranma responded harshly, "I've had this fight with you a hundred times."

They moved slowly in a circle, Ranma not prepared to throw anything but counters. Soun never truly committing to an attack. "Come at me boy." Soun taunted, "Show me what your father has taught you."

"This is crazy." Ranma shook his head, actually having to surprises a smile, "This simply isn't any of your business."

Tendo stood still at that remark. He rose to eyes to meet Ranma's and spoke softly. "It is my business boy. It was a promise. Between myself and a good friend. My daughter would marry his son and our two schools would become one."

"And it's been like this before I was born." Ranma finished the sentence, his brow narrowed and his dark blue eyes swirling with emotion, "I know the story, I've heard it before. Don't forget that."

"Then what may I ask do you intent do about it?"

There was silence.

"You don't wish to marry her?"

Continued silence.

"I will admit," Soun spoke with an eminence that hinted at regret, "That I have made many mistakes. I didn't always think things through; I've gotten caught up and caused my share of problems for both myself and my family. I am not a perfect father, I am far from it. But I swear…" his voice became a tone that Ranma had never heard before, "I did everything out of love for my daughters." He stepped forward, Ranma's guard rose, "I promised my dear wife that I would take care of them, raise them right and make her proud. I swore that I would be the best father I possibly could be, to ensure that they lived joyful lives full of happiness and love."

The old patriarch stood tall.

"So I ask you, Ranma Saotome, what are your intentions with my youngest daughter?"

Ranma Saotome gulped. Shifted his feet and averted the master's glare. His face become flustered, then serious, then flustered again.

Seconds passed.

"I will take care of her." He spoke, softly but determined, laced with his trademark surety. "I give you my word, as a man."

Soun Tendo simply nodded, then turned and left.

Ranma stood there, now alone. It was many minutes before the Saotome heir managed to regain his composure, shrug off the serious thoughts and prepare himself for his next class, which he was currently running late for.

She had returned sometime after dinner. After the sun had set into the evening and a cold wind had begun to whip up outside under the night sky. He hadn't noticed this till he made his way down from his room, having taken a refreshing shower and good soak on aching muscles. She was talking to her oldest sister, and he had heard her laughter travel up the stairs and ring a melody in his ears.

"It didn't quite go as planned." Her voice crashed across him, picking up the remains of a conversation long underway. He continued his pace towards her location.

Kasumi had replied, but her voice had been soft and Ranma had been unable to hear it. There was some silence, so he decided to cautiously approach the kitchen. The oldest sister's voice travelled in, a little louder now.

"So, you have to return tomorrow?"

He froze where he stood.

"Yeah." Her reply sounded sad, but he wasn't sure. "I can't miss any more class, exams will be on soon."

"That's a shame; I was enjoying your company."

"Thanks Kasumi."

"Does he know?"

She was talking about him, this he was sure.

"Ranma? No, I haven't told him yet."

"Will you?"

"Of course."

"Good."

Ranma sighed silently to himself. He then turned on his heels and made his way out of the dining room. Whatever conversation was continuing in the kitchen between the two sisters was private, and he no longer wanted to interrupt. He had heard what he had heard though, and lingered in his mind. Of course he knew that she would be going back to university, and he knew that she would be learning much sooner than later. But it didn't settle well within him. She had only been here two days. But the change was, well, obvious.

Sitting unceremoniously on the couch in a slump, he sighed again as he flicked through the television channels, never quite settling on only one program. There wasn't anything on that interested him and he was only passing the time. Truthfully, he wasn't paying an ounce of attention to glittering screen of colour anyway and it didn't take a genius to determine what his mind was wondering through.

"Opening." She poked him in the arm, startling him.

Akane blinked and smiled, staring down at Ranma who was still in a slump but now wide eyed and clearly in a moment of distress. She spoke kindly, "Hey?"

Ranma moved his eyes to meet hers, quite embarrassed having been caught so zoned out. "Hey." He replied, clearing his throat, "How was your day?"

"Good." She motioned for him to scoot over and he did so willingly. "Sayuri and Yuka are still as lively as ever." She sat down beside him, and turned her attention to the television, "What are you watching?"

"I have no idea."

She giggled and turned back to face him, "How was your day?"

"T'was alright." He shrugged, "Nothing exciting."

"Nice Ranma, way to fill me in on the details."

He cracked a smile, "Not much happened, it would probably only bore you to hear about it."

"You don't know that." She crossed her arms, "I might actually like to hear about what you do all day in the dojo."

"Really?"

"Maybe."

"Oh."

"It's not like you've ever even tried to tell me." Her brow lowered, "I don't know much about what you do with your time."

"I don't know what you do either." He replied, his tone struggling to choose an emotion to covey, "I'm not even sure I know what you study at university."

"Well, you never asked."

"No, I guess I haven't."

"I figured you didn't care."

"Why would you think that?"

"Well, it just came across that way."

He sat there for a moment and considered the situation. Then, he reached out and softly placed his hand on hers. "Do you… do you still think I don't care?"

Her fingers moved, and so did his, till they were grasped closely together. She squeezed just once. "No, I don't think that."

There was a shuffle of feet behind them which alerted them from their moment. She let go of his hand and returned it to her lap just as Kasumi came in beside them. She apologized for interrupting the show they were watching and offered them both a late night supper, which they both politely declined.

"I guess I too will be retiring to bed now." She spoke softly, with kindness, "The rest of the house is asleep too. I don't think Nabiki is coming home tonight."

"She said something about that this morning." Ranma replied.

"Yes, she did too." Kasumi continued, "In any case, I'll see you both tomorrow, yes?" The pair on the couch nodded in reply, "Oh, and Ranma, can you make sure Akane gets to the train on time in the morning? I'd really appreciate that."

"Of course."

"Thank you." She turned, "Good night you two."

They chimed well wishes back in unison as the oldest Tendo daughter switched off the light and left the room with an air of elegance that came so naturally too her.

There was a simple silence after she parted the room now illuminated only by the television that was quietly playing out the sounds of its melodrama.

"So."

"So?"

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" she let out an exasperated sigh, reached out her hands, grabbed the collar of shirt, pulled him in close and kissed him.

They tangled and adjusted and she pulled him further down, letting her body crash into the couch and his into hers. He was above now, and she was below when they finally broke their kiss and took in a breath.

His eyes were awash with colour despite the darkness, and his heart was pounding so loud in his chest he was sure she would be able to hear it. His lips parted to say something profound, but the words didn't arrive.

She looked up at him, her own brown orbs shining from the light of the television. He could make out the faint blush across her cheeks, and from the flushness in her inconsistent breaths he was sure she was feeling something very similar to him.

"I'll miss this." He whispered.

"Same."

"I wish you didn't have to go."

She reached out her hand and touched his cheek, it was warm and soft. "It's only been three days."

"Yeah."

Ranma look down at his fiancée and raised an eyebrow, "You let go of my hand when Kasumi entered."

"I did?"

"You did."

She smiled from below him, and it was the most brilliant of smiles. One that he knew would make him forgive her regardless of what she said afterwards.

"Force of habit, t'is all." She tilted her head to the left, "Might take a little getting used to."

"Getting used to what?"

"This."

And she kissed him again.

She adored the power. It was an answer to a longing she had felt for years, for as long as she would remember. Being around him made her feel an intense magnetism, to reach out and touch his chest, to pull his pony tail, to connect with lips, his hands, to get as close as she possible could. It was an inconvenient sense at best and frustrating at worst. And it was immensely satisfying to finally be able to do it unconditionally.

As for him, this new experience was downright terrifying. He had often laughed when his friends had discussed such moments, having never gotten close to any girl to the point to have to even consider such matters. They could concern them with such activities, he had reasoned, while he had his art to focus on, to master.

But now, in the moment, he felt terribly unqualified. He didn't know where to move, where to place his hands, his lips, where to reach out, touch and move. Everything felt warm and the haze made his mind go numb. This left it to instinct, which had worked perfectly fine for him up to now.

She felt him shift the momentum and she crashed across his chest as he moved to be under her. Her knee's propped to either side of his waist and she sat just below his chest. It amazed her how he moved her so effortlessly, so softly, with absolute care but with just the right amount of force. She knew he was strong, she had years upon years of proof of that, but she was never so sure that he was also gentle.

There were small kisses, and long kisses, kisses broken up by deep breaths, muffled sighs and quiet moans - sounds that she never thought she'd make and he'd never thought he'd hear. He was intensively sensitive and alert, and yet lost in the moment and completely absorbed.

She broke from him, pulling back, letting her hair crash back into a fringe that now covered the top of her eyes. Her hands were pressed into his shoulders, her fingers gripped tightly. A half smile, the likes she had never shown before was across her glowing face.

"Ranma."

He looked up at her, his entire focus only on her.

"I have to go back to university tomorrow."

"I know." He replied. He didn't sound disappointed, he didn't sound happy.

"What.." her voice broke, "What happens with us?"

"With us?" he raised an eyebrow, reached out and pulled her down, leading her to rest her head on the couch pillow just beside his. She did so. He shuffled and tugged and moved his body, interlinking with hers, legs tangled and his hands resting behind the arch of her back.

"It'll be alright."

She never regretted meeting him. Not once, not even for a second. Despite the hard times, the fights, the pain and the hurt, the thought never crossed her mind. It was much the same for him. He knew what he would go through for her, knew that he would fight till he couldn't move one more inch and even then he'd go on. He would take care of her.

But he didn't need to express this with a single word or phrase, and he wouldn't have been able to if he wanted too, as her lips were now again on his.

Much had changed in the last few days.

It was sometime later that they slowly made their way up the stairs, hand in hand, quietly as to not wake those who currently slumbered. They weren't sure what the time was, nor how long they had been down on the sofa, quite frankly they didn't care.

An outsider probably wouldn't have noticed much of difference between them, probably would have assumed they'd been an 'item' for years and the little actions like holding hands were long since rehearsed talents. They approached her bedroom door and it was then that he felt a pang of sadness.

But it was a different sadness then he was used too.

Yes, she would be going again, and yes she would be away but this was of course so different than those times. Before now he wouldn't have let himself admit he missed her, that he wanted to see her and that she needed to be there beside him. But he admitted it now, in quiet soft whispers into her ear so that the world didn't hear his secrets - they only belonged to her anyhow.

They stood outside her bedroom, only the light of the moon illuminating to hall, staring eye to eye with kind and brilliant smiles.

"Good night Akane." He said, and kissed her simply.

She kissed back, reached out, grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulled him into her room and closed the door.

End chapter four.


	5. Epilogue

**Crimson **

by llett

_Epilogue_

It was a brisk warm evening. One could see the stars in the sky, and though there was some cloud covering there wasn't any chance of rain. Akane was glad of this, because she loved this outfit and would be angry if it got it ruined.

The restaurant behind her had a welcoming glow beckoning her inside. She had resolved to wait only two more minutes.

Yes, she reasoned, he only had two more minutes. Then she would get irritated – and he didn't like it when she was irritated.

It seemed fitting to her then that he would appear before her right when her patience was at its breaking point – it was a habit he had begun to pick up over the past year.

She smiled, she couldn't help it. He smiled back, though he looked decidedly uneasy.

"Sorry I'm late." He said with genuine tones, "One of my classes ran over time."

"Mmmhmm." She crossed her arms, "I'm surprised you showed up."

"You're not angry are you?" his brow furrowed. "I didn't do it on purpose."

"I'm hungry." She said matter-of-factly, "And you know I don't like waiting."

"Let's go in then, alright?" he actually laughed, and she knew her act was up, "No point us just standing out here."

He reached out and grabbed her hand and pulled her with the right amount of force, she moved willingly, squeezing his fingers just once. He squeezed back.

"This place is expensive." She noted as the waiter was leading them to their table, "Are you sure you want to eat here?"

"I'm not quite sure what you're implying there, darling." He shot her a look, "But its fine."

It wasn't that she didn't like places like this, truth is she really enjoyed them, but she also knew that the dojo needed repairs, and that he was saving for a car, and the power bill was due soon… she pushed the thoughts from her mind. Why ruin a nice night.

"It's alright." He continued, as if reading her mind, "It's important to treat ourselves from time to time. After all, you do know where we are, right?"

How could she not remember?

"How was your trip?" he adjusted his collar, which was annoying him, and moved to meet her eyes as she took her seat.

"It was alright. No delays, which was nice." She made herself comfortable, "The weather is nice, I thought you said it was raining."

"It was. Stopped this morning though. Lucky ay?" he smiled.

He was older. She took her time to take him in. His shoulders had broadened a little more, and his boyish cheeks had truly faded. He was wearing the clothes she had picked out for him last time they went shopping. She knew that he hadn't fancied them when she chose them, so it made her happy that he was putting up with it just to impress her.

"You look good." She smiled.

"Thanks. You too."

She flashed him that _damn_ smile she knew he loved to see.

It had been a while since that fateful weekend where there childhood had truly been put to rest. Remarkably unremarkable it had appeared from its outset; nevertheless it held a truly precious spot in both their hearts – as did each other.

She had returned to her studies. Her university friends none the wiser to the actions that had befallen in her three day absence, though they were quick to comment on the changes in her behavior – her constant texting on her phone, a strange glimmer in her eye and constant talk of home. Her marks had remained exemplar and she still loved her time there, but she missed him in a way that she rarely could express.

As for Ranma, not much ever really changes in the Tendo Dojo. His morning spars with Ryoga continued, and his classes grew in size and number as the school continued to evolve and develop. He had his life as a martial artist, but it felt significantly more whole now. He longed for her visits.

The waiter took their orders, which they spoke without even checking the menu. Both laughing at each other for even remembering them in the first place. They chatted about their week, about their plans; the conversations flowed easily and freely between them with no hesitation or pause.

"How's Ryoga?" she asked with a tip of head.

"Missing."

"Missing?"

"Yep."

"Since when?"

"Oh, a day or two. I'm sure he'll show up soon."

"We have really got to get him a phone."

"I did. He lost it."

She laughed.

"So how's university?"

"Still fine."

"Good to hear."

"Dad told me your mother and father has gone off on a trip?"

"Yeah."

"Where to?"

"I don't remember."

"Ranma…"

He laughed. "They're drumming up some business, say we need to expand."

"Really, that's good news."

"It just means more work for me."

"Which is good."

"Yeah, yeah."

Their food arrived. Akane nodded, which was all the sign Ranma needed to begin his dinner rituals. Akane ate more elegantly and tried to not pay too much attention to his eating style which still hadn't changed over the years.

That of course wasn't the only thing that hadn't changed. He still wore his Chinese print t-shirts more often than not, and while she had let her hair grow even a little bit longer, it still settled comfortably above her shoulders.

"So." She started.

"So?" he replied, mouth half-full.

"You know why we are here right?" she pointed her fork in his direction.

"To enjoy each other's company." He smiled.

"Idiot."

"Thanks."

A small beam of light reflected off her left hand where a small clear diamond sat atop a polished silver ring. Unassuming but brilliant, just like her he had said.

"We have to set a date."

"I know."

"You don't want too?"

"Of course I want too." He placed his knife and fork down back on the table, "Remember, I live at home with our parents, you don't think I hear about it each and every day?"

She let out a laugh and a smile crept across her face.

"I'm not even exaggerating." He smiled, "Its getting crazy."

"Well, you're the one who said he wanted to marry me." She leant in closer, placing her hand onto his, "Not regretting that decision now are you?"

"Never." He said simply. "Sure we can't elope?"

"Positive."

"Damn."

She ran a finger down his hand, delicately playing across his knuckles. "It's kind of funny, sitting here now. With you. Like this. Do you remember that night?"

"Yeah?" his hand moved to grip hers, "I remember. Didn't quite go as planned."

"No. It most definitely did not." She laughed again, met his eyes and smiled.

The rest of the dinner passed quite amicably. They decided on the spring. Her mother had always loved spring, so it seemed quite fitting. He would let the parents know when he saw them, and she would get to work getting her sisters and bridesmaids in order. Ryoga had already agreed to be the best man; Ranma claimed he didn't remember ever asking him.

They stepped outside together. The evening air sweeping down the street and fluttering past them. It was chilled, but not cold. It was a quieter Friday night in Nerima, which they both were thankful for.

"So." He started.

"So?" she replied.

"So." They said in unison, Akane sticking her tongue out towards him as she did.

"Do you want me to get a taxi?" he asked.

She titled her head to the left, "No, it's a pleasant night, why don't we walk?"

"Sounds nice."

"Good." She reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling closer to her. "We still have a lot to talk about; it's not going to plan itself."

"Yeah." Ranma shook his head, "I figured as much. How long can you stay?"

"Oh, maybe a few days."

"That should be enough right?"

She laughed, let go of his hand and let hers sneak up to cradle his neck and pull him closer, "Not even close." She smiled and kissed him. He kissed back.

They had all the time in the world.

The End.


End file.
